Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
by JRavenTheFangirl
Summary: It seems like it'll be a normal Christmas for Artemis, Butler, Holly and Foaly; Juliet trying to get Holly and Artemis to be a couple, Juliet making a list of what they're going to do (which includes Secret Santa and making Gingerbread houses), and one last surprise on Christmas Eve. But then, Christmas is shaken up when someone from Butler's past shows up... written by J
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: NEW STORY. BOOM. *imitates explosion, then Godzilla comes in and roars and smashes everything* Hehe sorry. Just saw that movie the other day. It's awesome, btw. Picture by Aqane in the AF fanforum online**

**Cynthia: ****We're back and better than ever, baby! This fanfiction is dedicated to betsey01freeman-at least I hope it is. I didn't actually consult Raven on this-for asking me during Girl's Camp for another fanfiction. Here it is! And yes, there will be Hartemis.**

**Yup! So I hope you like it. ****The acronyms of the story spell RACT XD. ****There will be a reference to something that happened in Adventures in Picnicking… so if you haven't read that… you probably should… it's another thing Cynthia and I wrote together. Our first story, actually. *sigh* memories… now this is our THIRD! :D So, comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy our Darlings and Ravenlings! :) J&Cynthia**

"So, when is Juliet getting here?"

Artemis asked this impatiently while sitting on the couch in his living room. His legs were crossed, and his expression read irritated and bored. His arms were folded over his chest, too. Next to him was Butler, and on the couch across from him were Holly and Foaly.

Holly shrugged. "Don't know. She'll get here when she gets here."

"It's making me nervous," Artemis mumbled. He shielded his face from the side where the fireplace was burning; his cheek was getting hot. "I still don't know what she has planned... But, knowing her, it won't be good."

"Don't be a baby about it," Holly jeered.

"Don't pick a fight with me," the human countered.

Holly opened her mouth to say something else, but Foaly broke in and said, "Hey, hey, chill, you two! We can't have you at each other's throats _before_ Juliet gets here!" He chuckled slyly. "She'll want to see it."

Just as Foaly said that, the said girl came bounding in the room.

"What's this I hear about a lover's spat?" Juliet said, cheekily.

"Juliet..." Butler warned.

"Fine, fine. Lover's quarrel, then?"

"That's not better," Butler whispered. Nobody paid attention to that, though.

"I'll ignore the 'lover's' part to that," Holly grunted. "Just for now."

"Well I won't," said Artemis. He sat on the edge of the couch. "Juliet, we have told you _numerous_ times, and we will tell you again. Holly. And I. Are not- and never will be- _lovers_."

"Shh..." Juliet put a finger on his lips. "Just wait, Arty... Just... wait..."

Artemis didn't like the sound of that, and gave her a wary look before Juliet took her finger away from his face.

"Okay, I have a lot planned for Christmas and Christmas Eve. Artemis, Holly? Will you please go up to Artemis' room to get a list for me?" Juliet asked, a bit _too_ innocently.

"Of course," Artemis obligated, which was rather unusual for him. "But first, Butler? Be a good man, and check for mistletoe first, before Holly and I go up."

"Mistletoe? I'm very insulted. You don't trust me!" Juliet said.

"I'd trust you with my life, if it came to it. Just not with things like Holly and I alone upstairs during Christmas," Artemis explained. "Come now," Artemis said when he saw Juliet's face. "I'm not stupid."

Juliet paused for a second seconds, then pouted and looked away. Artemis knew she had just admitted to the mistletoe, and he glanced towards Butler. Butler nodded, understanding the look, and stood up. He walked to the stairs to Artemis's room.

"It won't be anything _too_ extravagant, will it?" Holly asked. Her tone was partially concerned.

Artemis sighed. "Do you even _know_ Juliet? Of course it will be."

"He's right!" Juliet exclaimed. "But it's not _all_ things that will annoy you. There are some normal Christmas traditions that I want to do too."

"Like what?" Holly asked warily.

"Oh, you have no idea!" Juliet exclaimed. "We're going to decorate our Christmas tree, we're going to, um, sing Christmas carols around the neighborhood, and-"

"Wait, stop for a moment, please," Artemis interrupted. "What did you say about caroling?"

"Yeah." Juliet nodded. "We're going to go caroling on Christmas Eve. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, actually, there is. I don't sing," Artemis stated.

"Ohhh, I get it." Juliet nudged Artemis with her elbow. "You're one of those people who say they don't sing, but end up having an amazing voice! Come on, let's hear you, then."

"I'm serious, Juliet. I really don't sing," Artemis protested.

"Just sing 'la' or something! Doesn't have to be too much!" she insisted.

"_No_," he said sternly. "I-"

Right on cue, Butler came down from the stairs. He was holding a list... and mistletoe. "Your suspicions were correct, Artemis," he said, slightly grinning.

Juliet pouted more, and Artemis glared at her. "It _almost_ worked..." she mumbled. "Just gimme the list."

Butler nodded, walked over to her, and set the list in her hand. After that, he stood between Holly and Artemis, who were on either couch, holding mistletoe. He looked at both of them. He started to smirk.

"Butler..." Artemis said slowly, "put... the mistletoe... _down_..."

Butler looked up. "Hm... should I?" he started to smirk.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Holly told him sternly. "Put it down..."

All eyes were on him. Juliet and Foaly were silently routing for him to not put it away, but they didn't say anything. Then, slowly and hesitantly... Butler set the mistletoe down on the table next to Artemis. Both Holly and Artemis let out long sighs of relief. Then Artemis snatched the mistletoe, and threw it towards the fireplace. It landed in the middle of the flames. Juliet cried out, but it was too late. The mistletoe's leaves were starting to melt.

"There, now that that's dealt with, we can continue as usual," said Artemis.

Juliet gave Artemis a dirty look before reading off her list.

"Make gingerbread houses, make cookies with Myles and Beckett for Santa, Secret Santa, and one last surprise on midnight of Christmas Eve." Juliet finished, with a gleam in her eye.

"What surprise?" Artemis demanded. "Why are looking at me like that? Juliet!"

"Sorry, Arty. Can't tell you. Or it wouldn't be a surprise anymore," Juliet said, with a suspicious smile on her face.

Holly sighed and mumbled, "I think I already know what it is." No one responded to that, whether they heard it or not.

"Cool!" Foaly said enthusiastically. "So, what's first?"

"Hm," Juliet thought aloud, "I don't know... let's have a vote! Take a few seconds to choose between making gingerbread houses, cookies, starting Secret Santa, or getting a Christmas tree!"

The group started to think silently, mentally running over the different options. Then, a minute, later, Juliet exclaimed, "Alright! Oh, and, Arty, you can't never raise your hand."

Artemis glared, and then looked away, pouting sourly. "That's a double negative," he hissed.

"Now... all in favor of gingerbread houses?" she asked. She spoke like she was a TV host.

Only Foaly and Juliet raised their hands. But, considering that there were only five people there, that was actually a pretty good ratio.

"Cookies?" Nobody raised their hand. "Secret Santa?" Butler and Holly voted for that. "Christmas tree?" Nobody.

Juliet glared at Artemis. "I said that you had to raise your hand for something!"

"But you didn't name the last one," he told her.

Juliet blinked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Artemis raised his hand, a casual expression on his face. Nonchalantly, he said, "All in favor of playing chess?"

"That's not an option!" Juliet snapped.

Juliet sighed. "Artemis you have to vote either for Secret Santa or gingerbread houses. The other two are ruled out at the moment."

"What's wrong with chess?" Artemis asked.

"It is not a Christmas activity!" Juliet said, frustrated.

"It is a brain stimulating game of strategy," argued Artemis.

"Get it through your thick skull. We are not playing chess!" Juliet shouted.

"What did you just say?" Artemis said in that eerie voice of hiss.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," said Juliet, hurriedly.

Now, Artemis had a growth spurt. So that, he was taller than Juliet. Barely, but still taller. And that gave him the advantage.

So he stood up, and growled, "You and I... we're going to play chess. Maybe not right now. But soon."

Juliet smirked, playing along. She stood up too, even though she knew she was shorter- and she was. "Is that a challenge, Arty boy?"

Artemis nodded. "Yes, yes it is."

"I accept!"

Artemis chuckled like a villain about to smash his opponent into the pavement. "I will _destroy_ you."

Holly gulped. "Um, Arty, Juliet, we don't want any fights..." Her voice faded as she spoke, and right after her sentence finished, a sound rang throughout the house. Everybody stopped what they were doing, and looked to the front door, where it had come from. It was the doorbell.

Artemis looked at Juliet. "Did you invite someone else?"

Juliet shook her head. "No; everyone's here."

Butler got up from the couch, and walked into the other room. "I'll get it."

Artemis rose off of the couch too, and followed his bodyguard. By the time he was in the entrance hall, Butler had already turned the doorknob.

At the front door was... not who he had expected. Well, they really didn't know what they _did_ expect- maybe an LEP officer, or something of the sort- but it certainly wasn't what they found. A girl with striking red hair over her shoulders and a fair face was standing there, holding a creased paper in her hand. She was _quite_ beautiful, and Butler found himself staring into her emerald green eyes.

The girl blushed, and asked, "Um... is this... the Fowl Manor?"

Butler nodded dizzily. Artemis was looking from beside him at the girl, but his face held no reaction besides confusion of why she was there. "Yeah..." the bodyguard said. "Um," he turned to his master, "are you looking for my master, Artemis?"

The girl glanced to Artemis, but shook her head no. "No, I was looking for the bodyguard, actually... Domovoi Butler." She looked up at Butler. "Are you... him...?"

Butler nodded again. "Y-Yes... who are you?"

The red head gulped, and blushed across her face. "U-Um... I'm... Lilac Bloom..." She smiled. "It's nice to see you again... Domovoi..."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: it's a little shorter chapter than usual… sorry… but it's still fun!**

**Cynthia: Welp, we delivered! And on my last day of summer vacation, too! Hopefully, I remember how to open my locker. Sorry. I'm rambling. Hope you enjoy our shortish chapter, sorry about that, and wish me luck on my first day of school tomorrow.**

**I'm going to school 25****th****, so I have some more time. *cheers* But enjoy the last part of you guys' summer vacation too, and good luck with school! Comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J&Cynthia**

The red head gulped, and blushed across her face. "U-Um... I'm... Lilac Bloom..." She smiled. "It's nice to see you again... Domovoi..."

"Come in, come in," Butler ushered Lilac in. "Sit on the couch."

"Um, Butler? Who is this?" Juliet asked.

"This is Lilac Bloom, a...friend from when we went to Madame Ko's. Lilac, this is my little sister, Juliet."

Lilac smiled. "Nice to meet you, Juliet."

"Well, anyway, how did you find me? That's virtually impossible!" Butler said.

"Hey, I trained alongside you, don't forget," said Lilac, tapping Butler on the head. "I was going through some stuff in the attic and I saw a picture of us, when we were seventeen. So, I decided to try and find you."

"That's great, Lilac! But, did your career as a bodyguard work out?" asked Butler.

Lilac nodded. "It did. I have a wonderful master, and he gave me a week off for Christmas."

Butler smiled. "He sounds nice."

There was a silence in the room, but several looks were still exchanged. Artemis glanced at Butler and smirked. Lilac didn't see this; she was looking around the room, and getting used to her new surroundings. Butler looked back at Artemis with an expression that said "don't do anything bad". Artemis had been told about Lilac Bloom before, and about how much of a _friend_ she really _was_ to Butler...

"Well," Juliet said, "if you have a week off... if you don't have any other plans, you can spend it here!"

"Oh, Juliet. I'm sure Lilac wouldn't-"

"Actually, I would love to," Lilac interrupted.

Juliet gave her brother a pointed look. "See? Lilac _does_ want to spend Christmas with us. Come on, Lilac. I'll show you your room!"

Juliet raced upstairs with Lilac behind her.

"Butler, is that _the_ Lilac Bloom?" Artemis asked after Juliet and Lilac had left.

"Yes, Artemis, it is," admitted Butler.

"I am so confused right now," muttered Holly.

"Yeah," Foaly agreed. "Who is this Lilac Bloom?"

"Just a...friend from...school," Butler said.

"I'd say she was a lot more than a friend, by the way you two were eyeing each other," stated Foaly.

"Foaly!" Holly gasped.

"Hey! Just calling it like I see it," Foaly said.

Holly glared at him. "And you wonder why you get in trouble..." she muttered, mostly to herself.

Butler sighed. "Well, _Foaly_, we are just friends, I assure you." He paid no attention to Artemis, who was obviously holding in a laugh.

Foaly just looked at the bodyguard and smirked. Slowly, and unconvinced, he nodded. "Mhm... I wonder what you guys' couple name should be. Holly and Artemis is Hartemis, like Juliet said, but what's Domovoi and Lilac?"

"Make that _Butler_ and Lilac," Butler corrected. Foaly raised his eyebrows at him, and then Butler realized what he'd said. He turned bright red. "N-No, I meant-! ...don't do a couple name in the first place! We're not going to be a couple!" he exclaimed, almost yelling.

Artemis leaned back in his chair, chuckling and crossing his arms. "It's nice to see someone else getting teased about this for a change. Now Foaly and Juliet can lay off Holly and I and start focusing on you and Lilac."

Butler growled.

"Take one for the team, old friend."

After that sentence, Lilac and Juliet same walking down the stairs, chatting friendly together.

"Yeah," Juliet said, nodding, "he does sound cool!"

Lilac smiled. "He is."

They came to the bottom of the stairs together, and faced where Artemis, Butler, and the others were. "So," Juliet said, clapping her hands together excitedly, "we have a new person to vote! Let's start over in case any of you have changed your minds."

Juliet walked farther over into the group, and Lilac tipped her head to the side and stayed where she was. "Vote?" she asked.

"Yeah! We're voting on what Christmastime activities to do first," Juliet explained. "So far, we have two for gingerbread houses, two for Secret Santa, and none for making cookies,or getting a Christmas tree."

"Hmm. I think I'll vote for Secret Santa," Lilac decided.

"Really? I voted for that, too! I mean, I voted for that...as well," Butler finished awkwardly.

Juliet silently giggled at her older brother. Butler never acted like this before, and it was very entertaining to watch. Butler seemed to sense that Juliet was secretly laughing at him. He turned around and mouthed to her, 'zip it, or you're grounded!'

Juliet stuck her tongue at him childishly, and he scowled and looked away quickly. Lilac chuckled at this exchange, but didn't let them see that she saw it.

"Then we're doing Secret Santa!" said Foaly excitedly.

Holly nodded. "Yeah... But how are we going to decide who gets who?"

Juliet said, "I'll get a hat and put everyone's name in. Then you'll draw a random piece of paper and whoever you get will be the person you buy a present for!"

"Seems logical enough," Artemis said.

Juliet rolled her eyes and muttered his words again to herself. "I suppose that could be _considered_ as agreeing, so I'll just go do that! Want to help me, Lilac?"

Lilac smiled. "Sure!"

"You come too, Holly," Juliet told the officer. "We'll leave the boys alone to talk." She winked at her brother as Holly made her way over to her side.

"What exactly would we talk about?" Artemis asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"Boy talk!" Juliet exclaimed. She swirled around on her heel to the stairs, and started to run upstairs with Holly and Lilac following. "Have fu-u-un!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: for the first time in a while….. I have nothing to say. So I'll leave this to Cynthia!**

**AN: I am so excited! Tonight I am going to see the Doctor Who season 8 premiere with my best friend, her older sister, and my aunt! And, yes, I will bring a banana.**

**:3 there's a Doctor Who reference in this. I loooove that show. Like, more than life. ^^ Ummmm nope. Nothing. Oh wait! School! First day! It went awesome for me. How's school for you guys so far? :) We like hearing from you, our beautiful Ravenlings and Darlings. 3 So, comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J**

"What exactly would we talk about?" Artemis asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"Boy talk!" Juliet exclaimed. She swirled around on her heel to the stairs, and started to run upstairs with Holly and Lilac following. "Have fu-u-un!"

"What does she mean by boy talk?" Butler asked in a somewhat clueless tone.

"I don't know," said Foaly. "Perhaps the complicated romance of my two dear friends, Butler and Artemis."

As if rehearsed, Butler and Artemis both groaned and buried their faces in their hands in perfect unison.

Foaly ignored this, and took in a deep breath. He said, "So, Artemis and Holly are Hartemis, but what's Butler and Lilac? Bilac? Lilutler?"

"Not Bilac," Butler mumbled. "It sounds like a chemical weapon."

Foaly just stared at him, and started to raise his eyebrows and grin. Butler turned red and shook his head back and forth frantically.

"N-No, that's not what I meant!" Butler exclaimed. "I-I meant that-!"

"We know, old friend," said Artemis with a smile, patting his bodyguard's arm. Butler glared at him. Foaly giggled.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say this was girl talk, not boy talk," Butler said quietly to himself.

"I believe that it would be Dilac," said Artemis. "Wait. Did I really just contribute to this kind of conversation? I must be going mad!"

"You were already mad, Artemis," Foaly assured. "Only a madmen could find the People."

"Thank you," Artemis said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "May we please get back to torturing Butler? I have been waiting far too long for this."

"Of course. I'll come back to you and your madness later. So, Butler, what's the story? You and Lilac obviously have history. Hmm?" Foaly said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"We were just good friends when I went to Madame Ko's Academy," said Butler.

"How good of friends were you, though?" questioned Foaly. "Like, brother and sister kind of good friends? Or stealing away for a little kiss kind of good friends?"

Butler sighed. "The first one, if anything. But she had closer friends than me. After we graduated, though, we sort of just went off in different directions. We exchanged phone numbers and email and all that, but over time we drifted apart, both being busy with our masters."

Foaly was smiling sincerely now. "And she decided to find you... how sweet. I mean, even if you _weren't_ more than friends, it'd still be a nice story."

Butler hesitated, but then started to smile as well. He nodded. "Yeah..."

Then Artemis decided to ruin the moment. "_But_," he said, smirking, "they are. So now it's a nice story of love."

Butler glared daggers at him and hissed, "Y-You little...!"

Meanwhile, upstairs, Juliet, Holly and Lilac were preparing the drawing for Secret Santa. They were working in Juliet's room. There was a notebook on her bed, and they tore out ten strips of paper to write everyone's names on. To make it more interesting, they would put a person's name in twice, so that everyone would have to get two presents.

It was silent for a while, but then, out of nowhere, Juliet giggled, and started a conversation. "So, Lilac," she began, "what's your master's name?"

"Hm?" Lilac looked up from where she was writing on the desk, and then smiled. "Oh, it's Mikey Lukas. My father served his father, like Domovoi and Mr. Fowl's families. He's very nice, like I said before."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Holly. "Some masters can be very mean, but there are some that are nice."

"And where do you think Arty is on that scale?" Juliet asked her, laughing.

Holly glared at Juliet, and said before returning to her task, "No comment."

Juliet put her hands' on Holly's shoulders'. "Holly, no use denying it. I know you and Artemis are in love, and steal away in the nigh to keep your hidden, yet passionate, romance a secret!"

"You've been watching too much chick fliks," responded Holly, to the dramatic speech.

That's when Juliet decided to turn her attention to Lilac.

"So, Lilac, what do you think of Butler?"

"Well, he was one of my best friends growing up. He's nice," Lilac said, clueless to the ways of Juliet.

"Do you like Butler?" Juliet asked.

"Did you not just hear me a moment ago? Butler was one of my best friends," said Lilac.

"No. Not like. I mean, _like_," Juliet explained.

Lilac blinked several times. Then she put on a sweet smile and said, "I _do_ like him. He's nice to me."

Holly tried to hold in her laughter, but almost failed. Juliet grunted. "That's not what I meant..." she murmured.

Holly decided to explain it to the innocent girl. "What Juliet meant was-"

"Shh!" Juliet hissed. She covered the captain's mouth, and smirked evilly. Then she whispered, "Let's not tell her... We can use this to our advantage..."

Holly glared at her. "You mean _your_ advantage. _I'm_ not getting involved in this."

"Fine. But just keep it like it is now, okay?"

Holly hesitated, then sighed. "Fine..."

Juliet leaned forward to Lilac and asked, "Do you wanna-?"

"No! Lilac does not want to build a snowman," Holly interrupted.

"Spoil sport," Juliet mumbled. "But! Do you want to know a secret? More of a true story."

"What kind of true story?" Lilac asked.

"A romance true story," informed Juliet.

Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother."

"There are these two people. A dark haired genius and an auburn haired soldier. They come from completely different worlds, yet, manage to become, dare I say it, exceptionally close friends. A gorgeous blonde tries to convince the soldier and the genius of their true feelings for each other, yet they deny it! But their true feelings shall soon be revealed," said Juliet, dramatically.

"Who is this true story about?" questioned Lilac. "A lovely one, though."

"Thank you. And you will find out soon enough, my child," Juliet said mysteriously.

Lilac shot Holly a questioning look, to which Holly replied, "It's Juliet. Just roll with it."

Lilac smiled naturally. "Okay." She returned to her task, and put the slips of paper in the pile where they were being collected. "I'm done. How close are you two?"

Holly put hers by Lilac's next. "I just finished."

Juliet grinned. "I was finished a while ago."

"So _that's_ why you had so much time to talk..." Holly grumbled under her breath.

Then, Juliet hopped up from the bed, and marched over to the closet. "Now," she said happily, "we need a hat. Or a box of some kind." She started to dig through it to find something, and after a minute, she said, "Aha!" and came out with a black fedora.

"Why do you have a black fedora?" Holly asked.

Juliet glared. "To _wear_, obviously." She put it on her head and struck a confident pose. They had to admit; she looked very stylish. "I have a hug thing for hats," she laughed.

Holly half chuckled, and held out her hand as she stood up. Juliet gave to the hat to her, and she dumped the papers into it. While doing this, the captain said, "Alright, so we'll take this downstairs and have everyone draw, then set off. Okay?"

"'Kay!" Juliet cheered.

Lilac smiled. "Okay."

"I wonder what the guys have been doing," Lilac said, before they walked out the door.

If she only knew.

"Shut up!" Butler hissed. "I hear the girls coming down."

"What? You don't what your _precious_ Lilac to know about your adoration for her?" Foaly said mockingly.

"I said to shut up!"

"Mmhmm..."

"Hey guys," said the cheery voice of Lilac. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Just...talking," Butler said.

"About what?"

"About...Doctor...Who."

Juliet squealed. "I'm so proud of you! Who's your guys' favorite doctor?" she asked excitedly.

"David Tennant," Artemis answered immediately.

Juliet gasped. She sprinted over to Artemis and held out her hand for a highfive. "I never knew how much I liked you until now!"

Artemis raised his hand to touch hers, but then grimaced, and put it down. "Eh... I _would_ highfive you, but I believe fangirlism is contagious and I don't want to catch the disease."

Holly covered her mouth and tried not to laugh, but Juliet and Foaly saw it and glared at her. The two Hartemis shippers grunted at the same time, and rolled their eyes.

Juliet sighed. "Whatever." She held out the black fedora and shook it around. Her grin returned. "I have the papers!"

Butler smiled. "Good. Now, let's see who gets who..."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: haha, chapter four, everyone!**

**Cynthia: Well, in this chapter I have put in some Doctor Who references. Hopefully you'll find them. When you review, tell us what you think they are.**

**LOL yes, I laughed for like, five minutes when I finally realized what they were. OOH. BY THE WAY. My birthday is on Wednesdaaay! I'm so excited! I got a package today in the mail but my dad told me I couldn't open it… *sniff* Cause he bought me an iPhone on Labor Day :3 I guess it makes sense, though. I shouldn't complain. I hope school is going well for you guys! Comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J&Cynthia**

"No! No! I am not going shopping. Noooo!"

Now, you would assume that Juliet would say something like that, but no. It was the, ahem, mature, Artemis Fowl.

"Ar-te-mis! You have to!" Juliet pleaded, trying to pull Artemis out of the car.

"No! I don't want to be seen in public with you lot!"

"Artemis, you're Irish, not English. And you're supposed to be a mature genius! Where's that mature genius now? Hmmm?" Juliet said, hands on her hips.

They were in the front of the nearest mall in Ireland, and naturally, Juliet was having trouble getting Artemis out of his shell and into the world of shopping. All of the Secret Santa participants had taken two cars, just to make it easier to get back whenever they wanted. Butler and Holly were in another car, and Juliet, Foaly, Artemis and Lilac were together, since they had to keep it in pairs. Lilac was beside Foaly, and they both watched this argument with amusement.

Artemis glared at Juliet for a few seconds, but at the same time was considering what she said, and sighed. Reluctantly, he got out of the car. Juliet smirked and chuckled; she knew she'd won.

"So," Foaly grinned, "who're the pairs again?"

Juliet pointed to herself, then Foaly, and said, "Me and you, and Artemis and Lilac."

Lilac and Artemis glanced at each other. Even though they knew the personality of the other, they hadn't actually talked or spent too much time together.

"Awesome," Foaly cheered. "And Butler and Holly, wherever they are, are probably the third group.

"Yup!"

Lilac said, "We should start... it might take awhile."

Juliet nodded, and Lilac started to walk to the door with Artemis (who was trudging and dragging his feet childishly). Lilac and Juliet waved to one another, and then they disappeared through the door. Juliet looked back at her partner, who had been studying them.

"Two questions..." Foaly began. "People are going to notice I'm a centaur... so how do we deal with that?"

"Hm..." Juliet laughed suddenly. "Sometimes I forget that you are. I guess we can just tell them it's a costume! I mean, people sometimes dress up around Christmas."

"Yeah, I suppose so!" They started to walk to the door.

"So what's the other question?" the girl asked.

"...Why hasn't Lilac asked about me being a centaur yet?"

Juliet stopped in her tracks. For once in her life, she was in a state of shock and surprise. Foaly stopped walking too, and they both started thinking, and thinking hard.

"I... don't... know..." Juliet whispered. "She would definitely be confused about it. Unless..." She looked at where Lilac had gone. "She's met with the LEP before..."

"Impossible! I've no records of Lilac Bloom," Foaly protested.

"I don't know. Artemis found you, maybe Lilac could," mused Juliet. "Maybe this isn't even Lilac's real personality."

"Well, what are we going to do about it, then?" Foaly wondered.

"I don't know. Yet! But for now we go shopping," Juliet said. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, Holly and Butler were on the other side of the mall.

"Butler, really, what's up with you and Lilac? I'm not Foaly or Juliet. You can trust me," said Holly.

"Something...sad. It happened when we were seventeen. You're too young," Butler said.

Holly glared at him, and turned red at the same time. "I'm older than I look..." she grumbled. "I live longer than humans, remember?"

Butler chuckled. "Even so..." He put his hand on her head and patted it affectionately. Holly grumbled and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it anyway."

The captain hesitated, then nodded. "That's alright." Butler smiled, and put his hand down.

"So," he said, "where do you want to go first?"

"I'm not sure," Holly said. "How about we go shopping and meet back here in about..."

"An hour?" Butler supplied.

"Sure. Well, good luck!"

And off they went on their expeditions to find fitting gifts.

Holly was looking through the window of an eloctronic store. "Ugh! What does that boy even like?"

"What boy, miss?" A young looking employee asked. "Your brother?" the employee inquired..

"No, it's for-"

"Oh, your boyfriend? How sweet! Come in, I can help you!" she said, pulling Holly into the store.

Meanwhile, Artemis was having about the same amount as luck as Holly...

Artemis was walking around with Lilac, and they were next to each other, but they didn't speak much. Finally, though, Artemis said something that interrupted the silence.

"So," he began, "how exactly are we going to shop together without knowing what each of us drew?"

"Hm," Lilac thought out loud, "it'll be hard, but splitting up kind of defeats the purpose. I don't know everyone too well, so I think you'll be safe."

Artemis nodded. "True."

Inside his head, he continued to talk. Ugh, what does that girl even like? he thought. I'm sure she has all the latest guns from the LEP, since she's a captain, and they're even more advanced than _our_ latest guns, so that's off the table. Hm... maybe I should buy her the plant holly. He chuckled at his joke (even though it hadn't been his to begin with; it had a history. A _Juliet_ history.

"Um, sir?" A young girl with a name tag on popped her head out of the store Artemis was staring at. "May I help you?"

"Yes, actually." Artemis hated admitted when he needed help. "Holly,-"

"Oh, I understand completely, sir!" The girl said, whose nametag read 'Rose'.

"You do?" Artemis said, confused, and he hated being confused.

"Of course! You're doing a Secret Santa thing and this Holly gal is some sort of friend of yours, and you don't know what to get her," Rose said, spot on.

"Well, yes," Artemis admitted. "That is correct."

"Then come _on_!" Rose grabbed Artemis' wrist and pulled him in the store.

Meanwhile, with Holly...

"Look, miss," Holly said. "He's not my boyfriend, but he is a friend."

"Hmmm. I could've sworn he was, the way you sounded talking about him," the employee commented.

Holly blushed. "Look, Martha," she said, reading the employee's nametag. "I could still need your help."

"Of course," Martha said. "What is this boy like?"

Holly turned her head a little. "Well..."

She started to describe Artemis in the best way she could. "Well, he's straightforward, strict, mean sometimes, very smart, a pain in the butt, irritable, irri_tating_, occasionally boring, and... sarcastic."

The lady's smile grew with each passing word, and when Holly was finished, she started to laugh.

Finally, after she was done, she said, "Ah, well then. But you did say he was very smart."

"Brilliant," Holly said, nodding. She was surprised at her own praise.

Martha grinned, and took her hand. She pulled her deeper into the store. "I have just the thing for him."

Meanwhile on a different side of the mall...

Butler was having no luck with finding Lilac a gift. He needed to hurry, because he also had no idea what to get Foaly.

He wandered around in a store that seemed to have a bit of everything in hopes of finding a suitable gift.

"Excuse me, may I help you? I'm Clara," a brown haired employee said.

"Yes, Clara, I do," confessed Butler. "You see, I'm doing a Secret Santa and I have a girl named Lilac for mine and I don't know what to get her."

"I see." Clara tapped her chin. "What is Lilac like?"

"Well, she likes to read, she's kinda wary, she's optimistic, she's a strong person, a redhead. That's pretty much it," Butler summed up.

"A ginger, huh? I have a friend who wants to be ginger. Anyway, I think I know what you can get her. Follow me," said Clara.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **

**Cynthia: Okay, a lot of you caught my Doctor Who references. And to clear up any misunderstandings, this will not be a crossover. I have recently gotten addicted to Doctor Who and Sherlock. I just like putting references of things I love into my writing. Okay, here are the references. Martha and Rose were companions to the Tenth Doctor (my personal favorite). Clara was a companion to the Eleventh Doctor and current companion to the Twelfth Doctor. (I love Peter Capaldi as the new doctor.) And when Clara mentions that she has a friend who wants to be ginger is a reference to the Eleventh Doctor, as the Twelfth Doctor hasn't expressed the want to be ginger. Oh, by the way, there's a Sherlock reference. Tell us in the reviews what you think it is. Okay, I talked WAY too long.**

**XD Well I'll leave it at that since I really don't have anything to say. Comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J&Cynthia**

Holly walked out of the electronics store only six minutes after she entered. In her hand, she carried a bag. She looked down at it and said out loud, "I can't believe they had something that _perfect_ for Artemis... I wonder who else has to get him something..."

That person was Foaly.

Foaly was, at the time, walking out of a bookstore. He also had a bag in his hand. He laughed and said, "Well, that's one down... Juliet will _love_ this. Now for Artemis's present... But what do you get a billionaire who has pretty much everything?" Then he chuckled evilly, and grew a little blush on his cheeks.

"If it comes down to it... I could always put a bow on Holly the night before and put her in a box..." He was grinning maniacally, and people started to stare because 1, he was grinning like he was going to take over the world, and 2... he was a centaur.

"Nah, I won't do that... Something... a little more... subtle..." He looked around and noticed the people staring at him in astonishment.

"Oh, get a life!" Foaly snapped. "Have you never seen a costume before? No? Well, to clear things up, I'm a Narnia fanatic. So, leave 'lone."

That seemed to stop the staring and gaping.

"Now, subtle. Subtle," said Foaly, thoughtfully. "Aha! Perfect!"

Meanwhile with Butler...

"Now, you're positive Lilac will like this?" Butler asked.

"Of course!" Clara said. "When have women ever misled?"

"Welll-"

"Don't answer!" she said, smiling. "Just go, and good luck."

"Good luck? Oh, yes, with the gift," Butler said.

"Not just that," Clara said mysteriously, eyes twinkling and disappeared back into the shop.

"What did she mean? Could she have-? No! Impossible," Butler said to himself. "Well! Time to start on Foaly."

Butler sighed. "If Lilac wasn't hard, Foaly certainly will be... what do you get a centaur? Our computers aren't nearly as advanced as the LEP's... Artemis should've drawn him. _He'd_ know..."

Meanwhile, Artemis was thinking the same thing. Or, something very similar, at least...

"Now what do I get Butler?" he asked himself while walking on the second floor of the mall. Lilac was next to him. "Let's see... what does he even like?" He thought for a moment, and then sighed. In his head, he thought, I need to get to know him more; right now, I kinda feel like he's just my bodyguard. But he's a friend, too...

Lilac suggested, "Well, everyone likes reading, right? You can just get him a book..."

Artemis nodded and lifted his head up. "Yeah, you're right. Thank you."

Lilac smiled sweetly. "No problem. But..."

Artemis turned his head back to her. "But what?"

She giggled. "I mean, it's not a problem to me, but you're not exactly supposed to state your Secret Santa out loud."

Artemis hissed through his teeth, and ran angrily into the bookstore in front of them. Lilac laughed and chased after him playfully. Little did they know, Butler was entering the opposite side of it at the exact same time...

Artemis was strolling along the rows, looking for book(s) suitable for his bodyguard.

"Hmmmm." Artemis tapped his chin. "So many choices."

With Butler...

"Gah! Why do you have to be so difficult? I swear, Foaly, I will-" Butler stopped his rant when he noticed a medium height man staring at him.

"Sorry," Butler said. "Trying to find a present for someone, very difficult."

"It's fine. I had a row with a machine at a store once," said the man. "Name's J-"

At that moment they heard a crash.

"Uh, better go check that out. Possibly a colleague of mine," said the man, and jogged away.

Butler watched him go, and then looked back at the bookshelf he was facing. He sighed. "He already knows everything... I guess I'll just get him a fiction book like War and Peace or Crime and Punishment, or something like that."

Then he turned to walk away to the fiction section. But when he got to the end of the row of shelves, he saw Artemis close by, a section away. Butler gulped, and stopped in his tracks.

"Artemis...?" he whispered, to himself.

The boy didn't hear him, and then Lilac stepped into view.

"Artemis, you need to hurry. I need to go shopping, too," said Lilac.

Artemis put down the book he was looking at and turned to look at her. "Did it not occur to you that you can look around as well? You do not have to stay with me."

"You're so...cold, Artemis," Butler muttered, watching them.

"Fine. Be haughty, if you want," Lilac said, and starting looking around the shop.

Artemis simply sighed and looked back at the row of books again.

All of sudden, Artemis turned his head and looked at the stack of books Butler was hiding behind. His ice cold blue eyes boring through it, as if he knew Butler was there. Butler took that as his cue to leave that area.

He saw one of the books he had thought of, Crime and Punishment, on the shelf he was hiding behind. Quickly he picked it up, and walked the other way. But then he heard a voice call him back.

"Butler!" said Artemis.

With a guilty expression and attitude, Butler came out of hiding and saw Artemis smirking at him. Butler laughed innocently.

"Oh, hello, Artemis," he said.

Artemis chuckled. "Hiding, were you?"

"Huh? Me? No..."

He nodded towards the book. "What's that?"

Butler held it up to look at it. "Oh, this? It's, it's a book."

Artemis nodded. "Good, Butler. And this is me not amused. Now, what book is it? If you must be so specific ."

Butler looked down at the book. "Umm. Crime and Punishment?"

"Are you sure?" Artemis said.

Butler nodded. "Positive."

"Really?" Artemis arched his right eyebrow. "You don't sound sure."

"Of course I'm sure," said Butler.

Artemis pursued his lips. "If you say so, old friend." And he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Butler called. "Don't you want to know who this is for?"

"I already do," Artemis said, as he walked away.

Butler stared after him, and he saw a slight smirk rising up on Artemis's lips. When his principal had gone out of sight, he looked down at the book, then back up, and he turned around to face the other direction. The cash registers were that way, and he walked away to pay for the book.

Meanwhile, Artemis was going to find Lilac. He saw her in the teen fiction section, and she was reading the back of a book. She looked sucked into it, like nothing else was going on around her.

After a few seconds of observing this, Artemis silently paced over to her side, and tried to look over her shoulder. He thought that she would notice him, or that she had already noticed him.

"What're you reading?" he asked suddenly.

Lilac squeaked, and jumped at least a few feet in the air. She almost dropped the book, too. She landed away from Artemis, and her face was almost as red as her hair.

"S-Sorry..." she gasped. "You just... frightened me..."

Artemis chuckled. Not necessarily a mean chuckle, but an amused one. This was very odd for him; usually the two times when he would ever chuckle, or give out the slightest laugh were when he was announcing one of his brilliant plans or traps, or someone had fallen into one of his brilliant plans or traps. But this time it was about startling a girl while reading a book. A huge change.

Lilac started to calm down, and laughed a tiny bit as well. She was still red, though, and holding the book close to her.

"What's the book?" Artemis asked. "Anything good for the people you drew?"

"No," she said, "I just saw it... and it looked interesting to me..." She smiled. "The name is City of Bones."

"Of course," Artemis said. "Are you still looking for gifts, or are we ready to leave?"

"I suppose so," Lilac said reluctantly. Then she noticed two things that would be perfect for her Secret Santa draws.

Her lips curled into a smile as she said, "I think I found something."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Cynthia: Wow. I guess you people don't watch Sherlock a whole lot. Anyways, the medium height man is John Watson. And when ne daus he had a row with a machine once, that is a reference to Season 1, episode 2 The Blind Banker. Welp, that's all!**

**Yep…. Nothing else for me to say either, except that WOW we finished this fast. I mean, compared to chapter 5. Hm... I hope school's going well for you guys. :) I'm certainly enjoying it… soo that's all! Comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J&Cynthia**

Butler and Holly were the first ones home (the others had taken a separate car). Butler unlocked the door and let Holly go in first, like a gentleman. She smiled her thanks, and then looked around the manor.

"Arty!" she called. No answer. "You there?" Still no answer. She looked behind her shoulder at Butler. "He's not home."

"Doesn't sound like it," he agreed, closing the door. He walked up beside her. "Until the others get back... let's wait in the living room."

Holly nodded. "Okay."

So a minute later they sat across from each other on either couch, in the living room, smiling at each other awkwardly. They hadn't really "talked" before... not like that, anyway. And neither of them knew what to say.

But, finally, the silence was interrupted.

"Soo..." they both said at the same time in the same tone. Then they burst out laughing.

The laughter lasted for a minute, and Holly no longer felt uncomfortable. Neither did Domovoi.

"You first," Butler told you.

"Oh," she said, "I wasn't going to say anything... I mean, not much. It wasn't going anywhere."

"Yep." Butler nodded awkwardly.

"Soooo..." Holly said.

"Sooo.." Butler said.

"Let's not start that again," said Holly.

"Agreed." Butler approved.

"You know, Butler," Holly said, sitting up suddenly. "I am still curious."

"Oh?" Butler raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"You and Lilac, of course!" Holly said in her 'no, duh' voice.

"Holly-" Butler started before he got cut off.

"If you're going to say I'm too young, I'm not. And it's extremely obvious you and Lilac have some history. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes or Artemis to figure that much out," argued Holly.

"Holly, seriously. You need to let it be," Butler said, tiredly.

"But, Butler!" Holly protested. "You can't keep it hidden away inside yourself. It's just not healthy."

"Since when did you care about my health?" Butler said. "Just stop."

"Butler-"

"I said _stop_!" Butler shouted.

Holly was shocked. Butler had never, ever raised his voice at her.

Butler realized he had upset Holly. "Holly, I'm sorr-"

"No, don't apologize," Holly said, stonily. "You made it clear you don't trust me." Her voice quavered as she said the last part and ran upstairs.

"Holly! Holly!" Butler called after her.

When it was clear the Captain wouldn't come back down, Butler sat down on the sofa and rubbed his face with his hands.

That's when Artemis, Foaly, and Lilac used their brilliant timing.

"We're baaaaack!" Foaly sang, but stopped when he noticed Butler giving him a 'not in the mood' look.

"What? What did I do?" Foaly asked.

"Dom." Lilac dropped her bags and sat down next to Butler. "What's the matter?"

Butler forced a natural smile. "Nothing," he told her.

But Lilac still looked concerned. "Really?" she asked. "Are you sure? Because you look upset..." She sat next to him, and looked at him with kindness in her eyes.

"Really," Domovoi insisted.

Lilac stared at him for a few seconds, and then nodded in a way that didn't believe him, but figured that if he didn't want to tell her then it was none of her business and she should stay out of it.

While this was happening, Artemis had walked in the door, and sat on the couch across from them. He sighed heavily when he sank into the cushion, and immediately closed his eyes, like he was going to sleep. "That was _exhausting_," he groaned.

Juliet stood on her feet in front of him and half smirked, half glared. She said, "Well yeah, maybe for someone who sits around all day doing nothing but computer... stuff..."

Artemis glared at Juliet. "I do more than just 'computer stuff'."

Juliet folded her arms. "Oh, really? Like what, for example?"

"I am not entitled to tell you," said Artemis.

"Like I said, computer stuff," Juliet said, smugly.

"No! It's ingenious, I'll-" Artemis stopped midsentence.

"Yes? We're listening," Juliet said, mockingly.

"Nothing," mumbled Artemis.

"I thought so," Juliet said. "Now, Foaly, shoo!"

Foaly had an offended look on his face. "Excuse me?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Go upstairs and find Holly, please. I assume she's upstairs."

"Um, okay...?" Foaly said, slowly, and went upstairs.

"Good, he's gone," Juliet said, as she plopped down on the sofa next to Butler. "Now we can talk about that little fight you had with Holly!"

"Wait, how did you know that?" Butler said.

"Simple deduction," said Juliet, proudly.

Artemis rolled his eyes. "I told her."

"Yeah. Whatever," Juliet said. "Minor details."

Butler sighed. "Leave it alone, okay?"

"But Dommy-"

"_Okay_?"

Juliet pouted. "Oh, alright..."

"Well, we still need to figure out what we're gonna do next," Juliet continued. "Which of the options before had the second most votes?"

"Gingerbread houses," Artemis recalled. "Then chess, then Christmas tree, then cookies with Myles and Beckett."

Juliet glared at him. "I told you before, chess is not an option!"

Artemis smirked. "But you said that you accepted my challenge to a game... didn't you?"

"Hm... I suppose I did." She snapped her fingers and grinned. "Well then! Dommy and I will get the ingredients for Gingerbread houses, everyone else take five! We have enough time to make one tonight, and then chess will be first thing in the morning! 'Kay?"

Juliet didn't wait for an answer, though. She grabbed her brother's arm, and dashed into the kitchen, dragging him against his will.


	7. Author's Note

**A/N: Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt. But Cynthia and I were talking and, for certain reasons, we're going to put this story on hiatus… If you don't know what that means (cause I didn't; I had to look it up), we're basically going to pause writing for the time being. So we won't update for a while… I'm not sure how long that'll be. We're real sorry… I haven't been inspired to write this for a while… I don't want to sound selfish or anything but I'm not sure about Cynthia's feelings so I can't guarantee if she feels the same way. That's just how it is right now. We're not stopping it; we're just taking a short break. Sometime we'll finish it, I promise! But for now… I'll see you later. :) J&Cynthia**


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